How losing Sterling Lucas to LSU, Lane Kiffin hurts South Carolina recruiting
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LSU and new football coach Lane Kiffin have hired Sterling Lucas to his defensive staff, taking one of coach Shane Beamer’s best coaches at South Carolina.
The move was announced on Dec. 22. Lucas just completed his fifth season with the Gamecocks as the defensive ends/outside linebackers coach. Lucas will be defensive line coach at LSU.
He recruited stars such as Dylan Stewart, a 6-5 edge rusher who was a five-star recruit, and transfer Kyle Kennard, who came to South Carolina in 2024 and led the SEC with 11.5 sacks. Kennard won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy after his lone season in Columbia and gave a lot of credit to Lucas.
Lucas also recruited five-star Nyck Harbor, who switched to a wide receiver in college.
Beamer just recently introduced three new hires to his offensive staff on Dec. 12, filing big gaps ahead of the 2026 season but now has another coaching job to fill, this one not a result of a firing like the other three were.
The timing is also tricky, as the transfer portal opens Jan. 2. Stewart could potentially follow Lucas to LSU via the portal, leaving Beamer without his two best edge rushers and coach.
Bryan Thomas Jr led the team in sacks this year with eight but is out of eligibility. Stewart had 4.5.
The new hires to Beamer’s staff for 2026 are Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator from TCU, Stan Drayton as running backs coach from Penn State, and Randy Clements as offensive line coach from TCU.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: LSU, Lane Kiffin hires South Carolina assistant Sterling Lucas
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